Transcription
[Music] Well, praise the Lord, everybody. It's good to be in the house of the Lord on Sunday. Thank the Lord for His presence. Amen. For the anointing of the Holy Ghost that we feel in this house. Amen.
The devil is a liar. I believe I'll say that again. The devil is a liar. He's the father of lies. The truth is not in him. Somebody today, you need to pick up your foot and put it on the neck of the devil and say, "No more, devil. I've had all I'm going to take. I'm going to magnify God. I'm going to praise the name of Jesus. I'm going to worship. If I don't feel like worshiping God, I feel the Holy Ghost. Woo."
I'm going to tell you something. If you woke up this morning, you got something to shout about. Amen. So thankful for the miracle-working power of the Lord. Amen. There's not a need too big, not a problem too hard. Whatever you need from the Lord, He's able to do it. Amen. Matter of fact, the Bible asked the question, "Is there anything too hard for the Lord?" We know the answer to that. It's a resounding no. There's nothing too hard for God. Praise God.
If you've got your Bibles this morning, want to turn to the book of Exodus. Exodus chapter 15. So thankful for everyone that's in the house of the Lord today. Several out, but I'm thankful for all of you that are here. Amen. So thankful for all of our guests that are here. Welcome to our family. We want you to make yourself at home and worship the Lord together with us. Praise God.
Exodus chapter number 15. I was reading through these verses on Friday and something jumped out to me and I preached on this text many a time, but I saw something a little bit different than I'd seen before and I want to preach about it today. Exodus chapter 15, verse number one. "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation." Oh, thank you, Jesus. "He is my God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him."
Verse number 20. "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances. And Miriam answered them, 'Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.'"
Somebody needs to know today that the Lord is working in your favor. It don't matter what it looks like. It don't matter what's behind you. It don't matter how the devil's coming against you. The Lord is working on your behalf. I said the Lord is working on your behalf. Oh my God. I feel the Holy Ghost in here today. Some of you walked in here discouraged, but you're going to leave full of the joy of the Lord. Some of you walked in here not knowing what to do, but I'm going to tell you, you need to praise God in spite of what you're facing, in spite of what you're up against. Some of you need to dance. Some of you need to shake that tambourine. Give God praise.
And God will help me. I want to preach about don't let the devil steal your tambourine. Don't let the devil steal your tambourine. Jesus, I love you. Thank you for your word and thank you for all your wonderful people. I pray you'd anoint me from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. I bind every attack of the devil, loose a power of the Holy Ghost in this house in Jesus' name. Everybody said, "In Jesus' name." Clap your hands one more time and give God praise.
[Music] Oh, somebody's about to get your praise back. Somebody's about to get your worship back. Somebody's about to get your dance back. It's been too long. You sitting there soured up. It's time to let loose and let God do it. Hey, glory to God. God bless you. You may be seated in the fear of the Lord today.
Over 400 years, Israel had been held captive to Egypt. Three and a half million people just came out of bondage. They had been building cities for Pharaoh and all they got for their labor was another beating. They got to the banks of the Red Sea. The Bible said that Pharaoh changed his mind and came after them. And they could hear the sound of chariot wheels rattling across the rocks in the desert sand. The angel of the Lord, the Bible said, was in front of them. But when Pharaoh and his armies got a little close, the angel of the Lord that was in front of them turned and went behind them. And the pillar of cloud that was in front of them turned and got behind them. And to the Egyptians, the Bible said, it was dark. But to the Israelites, it was light. And the strong east wind, the Bible said, began to blow.
Let me tell you this morning, this afternoon, that when God gets ready to deliver you and when God gets ready to work on your behalf, there is not an obstacle that can stand in your way. There's not a doctor's report. There's not a medical journal. Amen. There's not a banker. There's not a co-worker. There's not a boss. There's not a financial problem. When God gets ready to deliver you and to work on your behalf, there is no obstacle that can stand in your way.
[Applause] Nobody can stop the victory from coming. Nothing can hinder the miracle, amen, from showing up. There's not a devil in hell that can interfere with what God is going to do in your life.
[Applause] The Red Sea, Bible said, parted. The children of Israel marched through on dry ground when the Egyptian army began to come behind them. You read the account for yourself in Exodus chapter 14. The Bible said that the Lord started causing the chariot wheels to come off. And it wasn't just one or two chariot wheels that fell off, but there was enough chariot wheels that came off that they began to realize, "We are in trouble." The Lord told Moses to stretch out his rod over the Red Sea. And the waters, the Bible said, came crashing down around the Egyptians. And the Egyptians who had tormented and abused both mentally and physically the people of God for over 400 years were eternally destroyed.
The Bible tells us from our text this morning that Moses began to sing. You'd sing, too, if you'd been bound for 400 years and you'd heard murmuring and you'd heard complaining and you'd seen loved ones beaten, bloodied. You'd seen them mentally and physically abused. If God delivered you from that, you'd have a song in your heart. But the Bible said that Moses began to sing because they were delivered. But his song was nothing more than a testimony. But while Moses was singing, Miriam started praising. She didn't wait for someone else to start a praise break. She didn't wait for somebody else to feel a goosebump and decide that I'm going to step out and do it. No, she grabbed her tambourine and the Bible said began to worship the name of the Lord.
Now hang on. I got to reading down through that and something clicked in my mind and I began to think, where did that tambourine come from? She'd been in bondage. She'd been a slave for over 400 years. And now victory has showed up. And out comes a tambourine. And she begins to sing and she begins to shake that tambourine and she begins to glorify and magnify God. I just got a feeling, amen, that for 400 years Miriam had had that tambourine back in Egypt. Now, the Egyptians wouldn't let her keep it out on the coffee table. Amen. They wouldn't let her keep it out if they knew that she had it. But I got a feeling Miriam had that tambourine tucked way back somewhere. And every once in a while when things weren't going so hot, she'd get into that closet and pull out that tambourine and said, "God, I just want to practice. I don't want to lose the feeling of victory in my life. I don't want to lose the feeling of freedom and joy in my life. And things may be bad now, but I'm going to practice worshiping You. I'm going to practice magnifying You."
You know, we have a problem in Pentecost today. Too many saints have allowed the devil to steal their tambourine. I'm not talking about a literal instrument today. I'm talking about your praise, your victory, your joy, and your shout. Tambourine in the Bible was a symbol of celebration. People would shake tambourines as a symbol of freedom and thanksgiving for what God had done for them. And I'm going to tell you today, you may have been through a Red Sea kind of trial, but if the waters didn't drown you, don't let the devil silence you. Oh my God, I feel the Holy Ghost coming on me right now. I said some of you might have been wading through a Red Sea kind of trial. But if the devil didn't drown you in the Red Sea, don't let him silence you now. You need to pick up your tambourine and say, "I'm still here, devil. I still got my joy. I still got my victory. I still got my song. I still got my shout."
The tambourine was a weapon of praise. When Israel crossed the Red Sea, they didn't throw a strategy meeting. They didn't pull out a complaint list. They grabbed their tambourines and started dancing. Praise was their first response to victory. Miriam didn't just sing. She led a praise break with every woman that would join her. And that tambourine, as they begin to shake those timbrels, as they begin to shake those tambourines, it was a declaration to Pharaoh, to the Egyptians, and to their adversaries as they shook those tambourines. It was a declaration that we are free, we are delivered, and our enemies are destroyed. Oh my God. I come to tell somebody, you need to shake your tambourine just to declare to hell that I've got joy and I've got freedom and everything is all right in my life.
The devil, that's the enemy of your soul. That's your adversary. That roaring lion that walketh about seeking whom he may devour. The devil wants to silence you. You know why your tambourine is under attack? Because your praise shifts the atmosphere. You know why the devil wants to keep your tambourine under your seat? Because your praise and your joy is your strength. Amen. The devil wants to silence you because your shout causes walls to come down. I'm preaching to somebody here right now. You've got walls defying you this morning. Why don't you pull out a tambourine? Why don't you pull out your shout? Why don't you pull out your dance? Why don't you pull out your hand clap? And watch the wall come down.
[Applause] The devil wants you quiet. Oh, he don't mind you coming to church just as long as you sit there and don't move. He don't mind you coming to church just as long as you sit there on your hands and don't do anything. The devil wants you to be quiet. Amen. The devil wants to silence you, but I've come to preach to you. Amen. You've got breath in your body. Amen. You need to make a joyful noise unto the Lord. You need to praise the Lord with your whole heart. The devil wants to steal your praise during your pain. He wants to steal your dance. He wants to steal your song. Hear me today, just because it's hard doesn't mean God isn't good. I hear that old song in my head. "I've had some hard days and I've had some hills to climb." Just because it's hard, amen, doesn't mean that God isn't good. It just means that you got to dig a little deeper to find that tambourine. But whatever you do, don't let the devil take the tambourine from you. Whatever you do, don't let the devil steal your joy and steal your dance and steal your shout.
I've come to preach to some folks here today that God is wanting to work on your behalf, but He's waiting to see, are you going to pull out your tambourine or not? You know, some people left Egypt with gold. Bible said that God gave them favor and before they left, all their neighbors gave them all their goods. Some of the Egyptian, some of the Israelites left Egypt with gold, but others left Egypt with tambourines. When Israel left Egypt, they didn't know that the Red Sea moment would happen. But Miriam brought her tambourine anyway. That means that she left Egypt expecting to dance. She left Egypt believing there would be a reason to praise.
I got to reading that and I got to saying, I got to seeing that where Moses was singing a song and he was talking about all the good things God had done, and I started reading down through there and I read where Miriam grabbed a timbrel and I thought, "Hang on a minute. They've been in bondage 400 years. How does she have a tambourine?" But it dawned on me. Amen. Miriam realized, "It's not going to be like this forever. I've just got to endure hardship for a little while. But one of these days, there's going to be a shift. One of these days, there's going to be a change." I'm preaching to somebody. One of these days, things are going to be different, and I'm going to pull my tambourine out and I'm going to cut her up.
[Applause] She left Egypt believing there would be a reason to praise. 400, over 400 years, beaten, abused, mentally, physically. Some people can't come to church if they have a bad day. Some people can't come to church if they have a bad week. But Miriam was a slave for over 400 years. But she kept that tambourine in a back closet somewhere. And every once in a while, she'd go back and she'd touch it and she'd say, "It's going to be all right, baby. One of these days, I'm going to break the mothballs off of you. One of these days, I'm going to shake you like you've never been shook." Oh my God. Somebody needs to understand it's not always going to be like this. You're not always going to face this devil. You're not always going to be tied up and tangled up in this catastrophe. But you need to have a shout in your heart. You need to have a joy in your life. You need to have a song in your mouth. You need to have your hand on your tambourine.
400 years. I mean, think about it. Think about it. You're human. You follow what I'm telling you? How many of you, after being beaten 400 years, would think to go back and grab that weapon of praise before you walked out of Egypt? Miriam said, "I'm going to hang on to you. I'm going to carry you with me. And when I leave Egypt, I'm going to have a reason to shout. When I leave Egypt, I'm going to have a reason to praise." Miriam carried her praise with her before the miracle ever came. I'm telling you today, somebody needs to have a tambourine in your hand. Said, "Well, I hadn't seen God do it yet." That's all right. Amen. Carry your weapon with you. Carry a tambourine with you. Carry your praise with you. Amen. You might not have your miracle yet, but you need to carry your praise with you so your miracle can come.
[Applause] You need to shake your tambourine in the face of the devil. I mean, he rattles his chops all the time. He's a liar and the father of all lies. He knows how to mess with you. He knows how to mess with your mind. He knows how to mess with your emotions. He knows how to mess with your home. Amen. He knows how, amen, to speak words into your life that cause anxiety, fear, and worry. Amen. But somebody today, you need to take that tambourine. Amen. You need to shake, take your joy, your shout, and your dance, and you need to shake it in the devil's face.
[Applause] Oh yeah. When that old enemy says you're defeated, you need to shake that tambourine. When that old enemy said, "I'm going to send fear into your life," and fear comes knocking, you need to shake that tambourine. When depression tries to sit on you, you need to shake that tambourine. Hang on, somebody. I said when depression tries to sit on you, tries to hold you down, tries to defeat you, tries to make you feel hopeless, tries to make you feel alone, tries to make you feel isolated, you need to take that tambourine and shake it in his face. Why? Why am I going to do that, pastor? I'll tell you why. Because your tambourine said, "I might not see it, but I trust Him." I may feel weak, but when I'm weak, He's strong. Devil, I want you to know I'm not going under. I'm going through.
You know, I'm about done. If you can help me on the music, please. But we need a tambourine revival at the ALC. My wife's having a nervous breakdown as I'm preaching. We need to have a tambourine revival around here. God help me. Some of you, you need to get your dancing shoes laced up. Some of you, you need to get the shekels off of your hands. Some of you, you need to open up your mouth and say, "I believe. I testify that God's been good to me."
[Applause] [Music] We need a tambourine revival where we are some saints that are filled with the Holy Ghost. They're tired of the devil pushing them around. We need some tambourine shaking, joy carrying, spirit-filled saints to rise up and say, "I'm going to have a tambourine revival if I got to do it by myself. I'm not waiting for brother so-and-so or sister so-and-so. I feel the Holy Ghost on me right now. I've given somebody a recipe for victory in your life. The devil's knocked you down. The devil's kept you tied up. The devil's kept you in bondage. The devil's made you a slave. But you need to get your tambourine out and shake it."
[Music] Woo. We need saints that'll dance in the middle of difficult times. We need saints who will praise until prison doors open up. Somebody said, "If God would open that door in my family member's life, I'd shout." Why don't you shout before He opens that door?
[Applause] If God would come through for me, I'd worship the Lord. Well, God said, "Why don't you worship Me before I come through? Why don't you break your tambourine out and said, 'I'm coming out of this slavery. I'm coming out of this bondage. I'm going to need this tambourine. I've been tied up with it long enough. I'm coming out in victory. I'm coming out in joy. I'm coming out in liberty. I'm coming out in freedom.'" Hey, if the devil stole your tambourine, you need to take it back today. I said if the devil stole your tambourine, you need to take it back. Take back your joy. Take back your song. Take back your shout. Take back your victory.
Ah, I'm going to tell you, when I walked in here this morning, there was a sweet presence of the Lord, but there was a heaviness that was resting in this congregation. And I asked a few people, "Would you help me pray? There's something moving we need to push out." But I feel joy in this house.
[Music] I feel victory here. I feel a devil-stomping spirit in this place. We're going to leave here today, but we're going to leave here different than the way we walked in. I said we're going to walk out of here with the joy of the Lord as our strength. They were singing it. Amen. A little bit ago during the song service. Said, "Roll back Jordan, part Red Sea, fall down Jericho. You can't stop me." Amen. Somebody needs to let that be a testimony. You need to declare it to the devil. Roll back Jordan. Part Red Sea, fall down Jericho. You can't stop me. Come on, tambourine revival. Come on, tambourine revival. I know it's Sunday morning and this isn't what we do on Sunday morning, but this what we do. Amen. To push the devil back. You ready? Come on. I know we don't have a lot of room and I don't want anybody to get hurt except the devil. That's right. But I want all of us here today to declare to the devil, "I still got my tambourine. You might have taken a lot of things from me, but you didn't get my tambourine." And my tambourine is my key to victory. My tambourine is my key to joy. My tambourine is the key to open up the prison. My t Oh, God.
[Applause] Come on. Come on. Lift up your voice right now as they sing. Why don't you tell the devil, "I'm coming out of this thing. I'm not staying bound up. I'm not staying discouraged. I'm not staying depressed." Go ahead. Come on. Let's magnify Him. Let's lift up our voice. Give God praise.